Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,259, settled in 1895.
Orofino earns a D−, better than 3% of U.S. towns, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $53K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 89% of the state's. It also has a long history, with 2 places on the National Register. 42% of working residents work locally in Orofino, above both Idaho’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (8%). On hazard risk, just 4 of Idaho’s 94 towns do worse.
Where Orofino beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3,142 counted in 2010 and 2,656 in 2020; an estimated 3,259 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far Orofino is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 384 in 1910, a peak of 3,883 in 1970, 2,656 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1931 and 3 maps from 1967 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Orofino, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Orofino.
Orofino draws workers from Lewiston and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Idaho (mostly inland flooding).
1,683 jobs are based in Orofino, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Orofino had 1,683 jobs in 2023, up 246 from 2013. Its average trip to work comes in at 18 minutes. The top destinations are Lewiston (10%), Boise City (2%) and Coeur d'Alene (2%). For half of commuters, work is under 6 miles away.
| Orofino | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 9.9% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Orofino High School, with 360 students. The Orofino Joint District runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orofino Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 356 | B− |
| Orofino High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 360 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of Idaho towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA puts 64% of Orofino’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 25% to wildfires. Flood insurance has paid out on 2 claims in the town since 1996.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Orofino’s typical rent comes in at $949 a month. Typical home values rose 3.6% in the year to September 2026. The share of households in Orofino who are owner-occupiers: 76%.
| Orofino | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $949 a month | $1,125 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Orofino’s rate of reported violence stands at 3.6 per 1,000 residents. 12 violent crimes were reported in 2022.
| Orofino | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 9.7 | 14.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.9 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
The trail density in Orofino is 0.1 miles per square mile. 0.2 miles of trail wind through 5 parks and preserves. Only 4 of the 56 Idaho towns we compare have a higher share of conserved land than Orofino.
| Orofino | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.9% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sports Fields and Fairgrounds | — | 6 |
| 2. Orofino City Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Rotary Ball Fields | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,929 U.S. towns with household incomes like Orofino’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Just over a quarter of Orofino adults get no exercise outside work. This Idaho town beats the Idaho average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. Only 4 of the 59 Idaho towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Orofino.
| Orofino | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Orofino | ID |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77% | 70.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Orofino; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Orofino residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.
Where Orofino’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Orofino on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Idaho, United States
Orofino oro-FEE-noh; ("fine gold" [ore] in Spanish) is a city in and the county seat of Clearwater County, Idaho, United States, along Orofino Creek and the north bank of the Clearwater River. It is the major city within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The population was 2,656 at the time of the 2020 census. Nearby is the historical "Canoe Camp," where the Lewis and Clark expedition built five new dugout canoes and embarked on October 7, 1805, downstream to the Pacific Ocean. Some four miles (6 km) north is the Dworshak Dam, third-highest dam in the United States, completed in the early 1970s. Nearby is the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, started to try to compensate for the loss of migr…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Orofino grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns. It grades B− for health and D for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($60,000 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
2 notable people were born here, including Jeanette Loff and Danell Libby.
